Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies (Taught)

On our MSc in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, you will gain an advanced, interdisciplinary understanding of the history, modern politics, society and culture of the Islamic Middle East, and explore the paradigms behind the various disciplines within this field.

The programme combines:

• a course in critical readings

• training in research skills and methods

• option courses spanning a wide range of specialisms

• optional language learning

You will be supported to closely and critically evaluate primary and secondary sources on a range of relevant subjects.

You will learn and be assessed through a combination of:

• seminar work

• oral presentations

• essays

• a dissertation

Why Edinburgh
With over 260 years of history in teaching and research in this subject area, we are globally recognised as a leading centre for the study of the Islamic Middle East.

Our research resources and facilities are outstanding. We have a dedicated Islamic Library and our Main University Library houses over 23,000 IMES resources, including the Serjeant and Watt Collections.

We are the home of the Alwaleed Centre, part of a select network in the UK, USA and the Middle East aiming to promote a better understanding of Islam and Islamic culture through ground-breaking research and innovative outreach projects.

On completion of the programme, your dissertation will automatically be entered for the Yasir Suleiman Prize. Launched in 2017, and valued at £100, this prize for best masters dissertation honours Professor Yasir Suleiman CBE, former holder of the Iraq Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Edinburgh (1990 to 2007).

See our website for detailed programme information.